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Pawlenty stops state money from going to ACORN

File this in the no surprise department: Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s office announced that the governor wants to make sure no state money is headed ACORN’s way.

File this in the no surprise department: Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s office announced that the governor wants to make sure no state money is headed ACORN’s way. In a letter to Tom Hanson, the state’s management and budget commissioner, Pawlenty expressed “great concern’’ over reports of “questionable behavior’’ of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).

Firing at ACORN is not exactly high-risk politics. On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate voted, 83-7, to cut off federal funds to the organization, which long has been the target of many conservatives but now is everybody’s target since some of its employees were caught on video offering unsavory advice.

In the letter to Hanson, the governor wrote: “By this letter I am directing you to stop all state funding to ACORN unless the state is legally obligated to provide such funding. In addition, I am directing you to conduct a thorough review of the state’s relationship with this organization and report to me with your findings.’’

ACORN, a community based organization that was originally established to advocate for low and moderate income families on such issues as housing and wages, has been around since 1970.